Last Hope
by Ana the Romantic
Summary: Some Language and Violence. After five years Riddick finds himself on a planet and meets Jack once again. MY take on the Chronicles of Riddick. On Hiatus
1. On the Run

**A/N**: I just couldn't do it.  I couldn't keep down the urge to write a Riddick fiction.  It will be Jack (Kyra)/Riddick fic because that is my favorite paring in Pitch Black.  I just couldn't keep my mind from spinning and creating a fiction idea.  The news of 'The Chronicles of Riddick' pushed me over the edge and I had to write something.  I'm sorry if this eventually does totally contradict the things that will happen in TCOR that is coming out in June, but this is how my mind put things together.  So some people may be evil in my fic that aren't going to be in the movie, but it's all good.

And I would like to thank Shazzablue for helping write and edit this fic.  And by the way, go read her fic "What Are The Odds?" it is one of the bests.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any characters from Pitch Black or The Chronicles of Riddick… although I would gladly take Riddick off Universal Studio's hands if they let me…  ^-~ I did use some scenes used off the trailer to the TCOR, so if you recognize those scenes, I'm not taking credit for them.  Other than that, the plot is mine.  ALL MINE!

Last Hope

Chapter One: On the Run

            After five freaking years he was finally being tracked down…they were right on his tail.  Thinking for a few hours, waiting to be rescued on the skiff five years ago, he knew somewhere in his being that the story of his supposed death on that rock wouldn't fly.  But for mercs to catch on to his lies so quickly, that was amazing.  At least he got his own ship and got away from the Holy Man and the kid before they could catch on to him.  He didn't want them to deal with this type of shit.  Not when they finally got off that rock and away from their certain deaths.

Hopefully the Holy man got the kid to a safe spot; where they are both living comfortably.  He didn't risk his ass for that kid so many times just have her dropped off at a middle of nowhere orphanage and grow up not knowing what a real family felt like.  He knew where that life led, and there was no way in hell that he would let that kid go through that shit.  Sure she would have been out of the orphanage- what, two years ago?  Huh, she would be probably around nineteen or twenty years old by now.  But he left her in the charge of Imam, because he knew the Holy man would take good care of her.  The man also needed something and someone to hold on to after losing his three boys on that God forsaken rock.  In a way they needed each other.  Even if Jack had said that she needed him… she had no idea what she was talking about.  She was better off having a normal life.  Without mercs crawling up your ass every which way you turned.

The merc ship was right on his tail and they knew who it was in the ship.  They knew that it was him as soon as he entered one of the old Sigma sectors.  They just wanted to toy with him a little, although they should know better to miss with the Richard B. Riddick.  He took out at least two of their guys before they could trap him on one of the base planets in the sector where he was staying.  He managed to get on his ship and boot it out of the sector, not even realizing that the bastards tagged his ship.  After finding the tag it was a little late and the merc ship was already on his tail, chopping up two more on his serial murder list.  The two new names were the merc's buddies he got rid of, no doubt.

The merc ship behind him shot a few warning shots at the tail end of his ship, blasting off a part of the outer layers of metal.  Riddick tightened his grip on the steering of his ship, making sure that she was still steering properly.  The merc ship suddenly flew right next to his viewing range and the pilot turned his head toward Riddick.  Riddick cocked an eyebrow and shook his head lightly from side to side while smiling to himself.  He saw the young merc's confusion and pointed over his shoulder toward the side of his ship where one of the on-board weapons emerged from below the metal frame.  The merc swerved away from Riddick's ship just in time to miss the powerful blast.  Riddick lightly chuckled to himself as he saw the fear that crossed the 'courageous' merc's face.  These guys were amateurs probably just trying to get the healthy, growing bounty on his head, and he knew it.  They were going about it all wrong.

He was shocked out of his thoughts by another shot that sped through the space around him, but it wasn't from the merc's ship.  He knew all too well that the weapon blasts weren't coming from his ship.  The blasts lit up the black space around him and he watched as the merc ship was hit right in the center of where their power core should be.  The ship didn't stand a chance.  After a few seconds of anticipation Riddick saw the ship explode from the inside out.  The few chucks that were floating around the main blast sight couldn't be differentiated as flesh of the crew or metal.

"That right there, was a stroke of luck," he looked back out the front of his ship to see a blast of energy come straight for his own ship, "I take that back.  Never trust a mysterious blast of energy that takes out a merc ship."

Riddick did dodge the blast fast enough to spare his power core and energy cells, but wasn't fast enough to save the left wing of his ship, causing him to lose control over part of his steering.  He tried desperately to regain the control lost; yet the steering wouldn't compromise.

"Come on, baby," Riddick pleaded with his ship, "Just get back on track."

The ship shook with the attempts to gain stability, but Riddick knew she couldn't make it.  He buckled himself in and settled in for the rest of the ride.  It seemed as if the ship was heading straight for the hostile planet and he didn't really want to know who or what inhabited it.  A group of beings that would just as soon shoot down a merc ship and then the ship that they were chasing were not a race that Riddick wanted to meet face to face.  Although, he really had no choice in the matter.  He was going down toward the planet nonetheless.

He watched as the outside of his front window grew red in heat as the gravity of the planet pulled him through the atmosphere and toward the dark blue surface.  He glanced over at the readings on his small screen just below the window and read that the conditions of the planet were in fact habitable.  There was more than enough oxygen and the gravity was not that far off from the old Earth.  He couldn't see any bodies of water, but if there was life on this planet, more than likely there would be food and water not too far away.  He wasn't lucky enough to see the planet's name before the screen went blank.  Soon after, the front window busted inward as the nose of the ship hit the dark planet's surface; leaving Riddick with a view blocked by mounds of dirt.

***

Riddick woke up a little more than an hour later, rubbing his head and pushing his trademark dark goggles off his eyes.  As far as he saw before he hit the rock, it didn't have a bright enough sun to hurt his vision.  He dug himself out of the foot of dirt that surrounded his midsection.  His feet slipped out easily as soon as the top layer of dirt was pushed away from his thighs.

He pushed himself off the ground and brushed his hands together, letting the dark dirt float to the ground.  He looked at the ship that he only had for the last three years.  The front end of the ship was the only real part that survived, and Riddick wasn't complaining.  He looked at the backend of the ship where, pretty much nothing had survived, save the outer walls of the front end of the cargo room.  He rubbed his callous hand over the top of his head and took a deep breath.

"Damn mercs," he cursed the late mercenaries.  He put his goggles back on his head as he felt the heat on the planet.  Apparently he managed to land right before sunrise.  The red and orange colors that he was expecting were replaced by a cool blue color that reminded him of one of the suns from the planet of death he fled five years prior.

Riddick lifted his eyes from his dead ship and covered them with the protective dark lenses of his goggles.  He grabbed what remained of his bag of supplies he usually stored under his seat and turned toward the rising blue sun.  Before he could take a good look at the horizon line a tall structure that looked like a statue blocked his full view.  The thing was huge, at least a few hundred feet tall, and just as dark as the planet around him.  The heat began to rise at an alarming rate, and Riddick knew that he had to get out of the sun's way before it rose completely.  Past the tall statue Riddick could have sworn that there were buildings or ruins, so he might as well start there for some answers.  As he made his way past the statue, he noticed the huge cracks in the structure's base, nearly disconnecting it with the planet's surface.  Riddick shook his head, how he would hate to be there when that baby fell.

He walked into the beginning of the buildings and noticed that the light from the sun barely touched the streets or the inner walkways of the city.  No one seemed to be around, and for a planet that just shot at you for no reason, that was very strange.  He looked around his area, even though it was dark enough to see without his goggles, he kept them on.  He didn't want to keep playing with their position on his head.

After a couple of hours of walking away from the statue, he heard some shifting of some rocks and originally thought that someone was following him, but instead he found that the statue that he was admiring before, starting to sway toward and away from him.  The statue leaned forward, finally releasing itself from the bindings of the planet.  Before Riddick found the need to run like hell, he saw a few ground ships behind the statue.  It looked like they had purposely hit the statue so that it would fall.  Riddick couldn't help but wonder if they really knew who he was, or if they even saw him at all.

The statue began to loom over his position and Riddick finally found it in his legs to start moving.  And move fast.  The statue fell right toward him, not giving him that much time to move.  He was grateful that the guys in the ship at least gave him the two hours to walk away from the statue and give him some ground between him and the statue.  He stumbled a little as he saw the huge piece of art come crushing toward him, burying all the buildings he passed by earlier.  Fear and excitement rolled into his stomach as he looked around frantically in slow motion for an escape.  He eventually found a small alley and ran straight toward it.

He dove head first into the alley, barely dodging the heavy statue that followed not far after.  He looked back the mess or rubble and debris left just a few feet from his heels.  Thank goodness he didn't stop walking earlier that morning, otherwise, he probably would be under the heavy cement-like structure.

"What a welcome," he said to himself and heaved against the ground to stand erect and turned toward the other open side of the alley, "Now to find some life on this rock that is not willing to kill me."

"How about you settle for us?" a harsh voice rang out before hitting Riddick in the gut painfully and sending him to his knees.

'Either this guy is built like an ox, or he has something helping him that I can use against him,' Riddick looked up and found a pretty big guy with two others surrounding him, 'I was hoping for the latter of my options.'

The man kicked him in the gut once again and let him slide all the way back into one of the buildings nearby.  Riddick hid his pain and looked at the three men coming toward him.  They were all wearing the same type of outfit, which looked like something dug out of the Middle Ages.  They had dark armor totally concealing their bodies and metallic gloves covering their hands.  This is exactly who Riddick didn't want to run into on this kind of planet.

"Well, gentlemen," Riddick said quite calmly for a man that was just slid into a solid wall and patted his hands together to get the excess dirt off, "It seems that I caught you at a bad time.  Excuse my interruption."

The bigger one looked at the other two with a grin, "I think that we have a smart alec on our hands.  Let's teach him some manners, for Lord Marshal's sake," he watched as Riddick crossed his arms over his chest and eyed them closely.

Meanwhile, around the next building a woman peeked from her hiding place and saw two men from the Necromonger army start to circle a man.  She was sure that she saw three of them leave the base earlier this morning, but the other one must have gone back to report the stray man.  She had never seen him before, and yet, there was something about his stance and attitude that refreshed a buried memory from the back of her mind.  The bigger of the two men hit the 'stray' back to the ground and all she could do was watch the bastards beat the man, until she could think of an idea.  She ran her fingers through her short brown ponytail to think of a plan while her eyes darted back and forth on the ground in front of her.

She gripped the side of the building as she saw the man's body heave upward as the big bastard kneed him hard in the gut.  As soon as he was back on the ground he looked up, past the two other men and straight at her.  She felt something ignite in her being as a sly smirk grew on his face.  He jumped up from his position on the ground and began to take down the bigger man that had him on the ground just a few seconds earlier.  She was entranced by his fighting skills and by his face, even though his eyes were hidden beneath the dark lenses of some goggles he was wearing.

'Goggles…' another thing jumped back into her brain, even though she couldn't seem to grab a hold of it.

Before she even understood that there was someone else there a strong hand of the third man she saw earlier lunged out of the darkness and grabbed her by the hair, "Decide to go on a little adventure today, did we?"

She clawed at his hand, trying to get the pain from her scalp to recede.  If she wasn't careful, the man would open up and old wound that was right above her eyebrow.  He dragged her over to the other two and threw her down right next to where they finally had Riddick pinned.  She moaned as she lifted her head and rubbed her sore scalp.

Riddick had watched as the bastard snuck up on her and dragged her over to the others.  She was pretty attractive and yet still young.  No more than twenty years old, by his measure.  She was beat up pretty bad even before that bastard got a hold of her by the looks of it.  A cut that was made earlier showed over her left eyebrow, even through some of her loose brown hair was falling from the ponytail on her head covering the wound slightly.  Her clothes were pretty dirty, but nonetheless together and showing her figure quite nicely.  She looked Riddick into his goggles and he watched her eyes grow.  She recognized him.  Slowly her small, yet strangely enticing lips, silently mouthed two single syllables.

'Riddick.'

He raised one of his eyebrows to show his interest in this new woman and how she knew him.  Besides his obvious infamous charges.

"Look at what I found… it's the leader of the untamed," the one that dragged her over said, "What's your name again, rat?"

She winced as he kicked her in the side, making her lean toward the biggest of the three, "My name's Kyra… and you're the rats!"

She sprang up from her fallen position and grabbed the pistol of the biggest man.  Without another thought she pressed the trigger and watched with satisfaction as the man's head exploded on contact with the energy beam.  The other two men stood shocked and before either one could grab their weapons, Riddick tripped them both and actually knocked one of them out as their head hit the ground.  The other one laid shocked at the two humans.

The woman named Kyra walked over and tied the man to one of the jagged rocks that was formed by the collapse of the statue, "Now, rat, you get to stay here until someone finds you or until your buddy wakes up.  Have fun."

Kyra went back over to the body of the man she killed and looked for anything that may be of some use.  Riddick watched her with a sense of awe as he started to release his wrists from the ties.  She just killed a man unfazed and just tied a man to a jagged rock, unsure if he was going to ever be found.  He liked her already, and her figure did help.

"So, I guess you know of me," Riddick said in a kind of gloating tone, "But I don't believe I know of you, Kyra."

"Forget all ready, Riddick?" Kyra said not lifting her head up from the headless corpse while looking for some items that may prove useful, "I wouldn't even think that you would forget the darkness."

"Refresh my memory," Riddick smirked, crossing his arms.

Kyra finally stood up, forcing the laser gun she used to kill the man in the side of her shorts and walked over to him.  She looked at his face for a few seconds and then slowly began to take off the goggles from his eyes, making sure that the light wasn't too bright around them.  She stared into the quicksilver pools and smiled as the memory played in her mind, "Where the hell could I get eyes like that?"

Her voice was covered with enjoyment and a hint of sarcasm, "I probably would have to kill a few people, get sent to a slam where they tell me I would never see the light of day again and then dig up a doctor to do the surgical shine job on my eyes.  So I could see who was sneaking up on me in the dark."

"Cute kid," Riddick commented, tilting his head to the other side, "Well, you've grown… Jack."


	2. Introductions

A/N: Well, I read the book… the whole thing in less than three days.  Although, I didn't like the ending at all, nor some of the other details.  But no worry; it will not change my story line.  I am going to stay with my original story line because I have it all outlined and ready to go.  A lot of things are going to be different, but some things will be the same.  Don't worry.  This is still **_my_** idea on what the Chronicles of Riddick should be.  Now on with the fiction!

Chapter Two: Introductions

Kyra smirked a bit as Riddick tilted his head in recognition, "I thought that would jog your memory, Big Evil."

"Really?  You were so sure?" Riddick taunted her.

"As sure as I knew you were still alive," she looked away from him and toward the horizon.  She narrowed her eyes a bit and started to walk toward another alleyway.

"Now where are you going?" he watched as she walked toward the blocked alley.  He noted how her hips swayed from side to side as she tried to keep a large step size toward the alleyway.

'Where was I when you grew up?' he thought to himself.

"Home," she replied, "If you don't mind Riddick, I need to go down and warn the others that sunrise is close."

"Others?"

She sighed and turned toward him, "The 'untamed' as **_he_ **put it," she glared at the decapitated man's body, "There are only a few of us left here."

"And where is here, exactly?" Riddick mused watching her turn back to the alleyway wall and smooth her hand over it, trying to find something.

"Welcome to the high profile slam on Crematoria," Kyra hit the wall hard and stepped back as the wall opened to a passage, "Or as we like to call it… our own little living hell."

"Crematoria, huh?  I heard of this place," he followed her into the passage as the door shut behind them.

"I thought you might have, given your knowledge of the slam systems," she stayed still for a moment trying to regain her bearings.  Once the door behind them shut, it threw them into a world without any light.  It didn't bother Riddick, the darkness was his element.

"You so sure this is such a living hell, Jack?  I mean, that damned rock with the hammer heads felt very close to hell," Riddick smiled as Kyra put her hand on the wall, following the groves and notches.

"This is even closer.  These monsters are not only killing, they waste the lives they extinguish.  I mean, at least some of us have excuses to kill others.  They seem to do it for pleasure.  The hammer heads ate the ones they killed," Kyra picked her head up from the wall and began to walk down the dark tunnel, "Another thing, Riddick.  I'm not Jack any longer."

"Well, where is Jack?"

"She died a long time ago.  She was lagging behind, and soon enough couldn't survive in the rough world.  Especially after you left her behind."

"Left behind?"

"Yeah, left behind with Imam… who didn't even last the first month after you left," Kyra didn't stop walking, and her voice stayed unusually calm.

"The Holy Man?  What happened?" Riddick was shocked.  The man he once knew may have been a bit weak, but nonetheless he had a spirit that wouldn't be put out very easily.  He proved that on the planet with the hammerheads.  That is part of the reason he left her with him.

"Something I would rather forget," Kyra brushed it off, trying not to show the emotional attachment that was really there, "But don't worry, I got rid of the bastards who were responsible.  I told you I could kill a few people.  I then started to run after that."

"A merc finally catch up to you?" Riddick noted her calm exterior and knew that she must be hiding some if not all the pain.

"No," Kyra looked back at where his voice was coming from.  At one point he could have sworn she knew exactly where his eyes were in the dark, "I turned myself in.  Don't ask why.  I just did.  I wasn't afraid of it.  I was tired of running was all…"

"You weren't afraid?" Riddick grabbed her by the arms and slammed her against the wall behind her, "How about now?"

"To tell you the truth… I'm terrified of everything down here, Riddick," she stayed calm as she continued to gaze into his eyes.

"I meant of me," he growled lightly.

Kyra was unmoving and still continued to burrow her eyes deep into his own, "You have saved me countless times.  I trust you, Riddick.  You should be honored, I don't give my trust to just anyone these days."

He chuckled a bit and looked at the side, "You have a bad judge of character, kid."

"I don't think so," she sighed, "And I'm not a kid anymore."

"I've noticed," he backed away from the wall eyeing her a bit and she began to walk down the tunnel once again, "Ja- Kyra…"

He grabbed her wrist, but accidentally grabbed the leather-like material around her arms by mistake.  Under the material he could see long vertical scars running from her wrist to her elbow.  Riddick stared at the scar for a few seconds before Kyra grabbed her arm from his grasp.  She quickly tried to put the strings back in order.

"What the hell is that from?" Riddick asked.

"Nothing really," Kyra tied the strings around the material to secure it back to her arm.

"That doesn't look like nothing.  It looks like a suicide attempt to me."

"Yeah, well, that means that they did a pretty damn good job," Kyra said a bit harshly, "And why would you care anyway?"

"Who's they?" Riddick asked in a deadpan voice.

"Forget it," Kyra waved her other arm also covered with material.  Riddick followed her, wondering whether or not Kyra had another scar running along her other arm.

"How do you make it through here?  You're not even touching the walls anymore," Riddick called up to her.

"I've walked this path over a million times.  I can do it in my sleep," Kyra turned a corner and waited for Riddick to catch up, "And you may want shield your eyes before I open this.  I'm not sure if it will be too bright or not for your eyes."

"Fine," Riddick put his hands up to shield his eyes as Kyra opened the door and let the soft glow fill the small tunnel.

They both stepped into a large cavern like room with a few craters scattered around the area.  Light wasn't found from the outside, but from the numerous candles that were strewn everywhere around the huge cavern, casting a soft glow over the crevices.  Riddick looked around the odd cavern and saw a few people sitting in their own little places.  Most of the fifty or so people were walking around like it was a normal day, minus the fact that they were baking to death from the heat.

"You so sure this is the Crematoria Slam?" Riddick lifted an eyebrow and followed Kyra through the cavernous area.

"If you have your doubts, you can go back up top and see how long until you explode from the inside out," Kyra said in a hardened voice.  She stumbled a bit as she tried not to fall over a crater, "You might want to watch out for craters in the ground."

"What the-" Riddick tripped in a hole as he turned his head to look at a pregnant woman by the far wall.  Kyra came over and offered her hand to let him up, "Thanks for the warning."

"It would be nice if some people actually followed them," she said as he stood up by himself.

"This isn't a usual slam, is it?" Riddick grumbled brushing himself off.

"None that I ever experienced before," Kyra dropped her hand and glared at him.

"You've been to others?"

"I turned myself in quite a while ago.  I've been to quite a few of them.  I was on Helion Prime, until I decided I didn't want to go with the newest trend and they sent me here."

"Quite a while ago, huh?"

"Look… they took someone else for my crimes, all right?  I wanted to set them straight.  No one else was going to take credit for what I did.  No one."

"You, I understand being here," he paused watching Kyra fume, "I still didn't think they took pregnant women."

Kyra looked over at the woman at the side, "Well, it all changed after the sons of bitches came and took over Helion Prime.  Who ever didn't go to their side were thrown down here… or killed.  Well, apparently most of the prisoners went their way.  I chose another way.  That woman refused also, while her husband joined.  Some husband and father he turned out to be."

"I feel animosity."

"Let's just say she wasn't the only one betrayed," Kyra gave him a weak smile, "Come on, you need to see a few people."

She led him to a big building-like, hollow structure where four people stood inside.  There was one woman about Kyra's age with dark brown hair tied in a pony tail leaning on a table toward the back of the room.  She wore a slight smirk that grew a little larger when he and Kyra entered the room.  At the other side of the room there was a guy maybe five years Riddick's senior with brown hair and a huge gun which hung over one shoulder.  The older man looked strikingly familiar to Riddick, maybe it was his stance or his stare, but there was something about him that Riddick just couldn't put his finger on.  Standing right by the door there was another man younger than Riddick with darker skin and covered in robes that reminded him of the holy man.  Last but not least there was really young boy in his late teens sitting crossed legged on the table.

The woman that was leaning on the table that looked similar to Kyra walked over to him and Kyra after they entered, "So Kyra, who did you manage to round up today?"

Kyra rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, "Logan, Riddick; Riddick, Logan," she waved her hand between the two and walked toward the young, dark skinned man.

"I…I can't believe I'm standing in front of the infamous Richard B. Riddick," Logan mused, taking Riddick's hand, "I'm a big fan.  I'm also a killer."

"Really?" Riddick said unimpressed.

"Yeah, I have killed about ten people so far," she desperately tried to gain his full attention, "How many people have you really done in?"

Riddick looked past Logan at Kyra who was talking with the young man.  She was keeping her gaze on the man's face, trying not to look Riddick's way.  The young man kept glancing over at him, so he already knew the topic of conversation.  The young man pointed to the gun at Kyra's side with his finger and a disapproving face.  She touched it and quickly smiled to cover up her story.  The robed man said something to her that caused her to look Riddick's way, but then quickly shifted her eyes back to the robed man.

"Riddick?" Logan tried again to grab his attention.

"Call me crazy, but I never really enjoyed killing.  So I never counted," Riddick pushed past her without making eye contact and started to walk toward the others.

"So how do you know Kyra?" she asked trying to catch up to him, "Was she on one of your hits?"

"No," Riddick said a little short and started to walk a little faster, "I saved her…a long time ago."

"So she was telling the truth then," she stopped to think, but after realizing Riddick didn't respond she looked up to find him a good distance away from her and still heading towards Kyra.

Kyra looked at Riddick as he approached the group. He looked a little perturbed, but fine nonetheless.  Logan stood at a distance, looking a little pissed off.  Kyra smiled at Logan's mood.  Riddick must have totally rejected her advances.

'Serves her right.'

"What did you think of Logan?" Kyra asked when Riddick stopped in front of her with his arms in front of his chest.

"A little… um, destructive, isn't she?" Riddick asked.

"You have no idea, but granted she is a good fighter," the young man with the dark skin stepped forward with his hand extended, "My name is Hassan.  I once studied with Imam.  I was not able to join him on his voyage to New Mecca.  From Kyra's story, I'm glad I hadn't."

"Riddick," he said gripping Hassan's hand tightly, "Escaped convict, murderer."

"I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Riddick.  Kyra talks of you often," Hassan looked down at Kyra.  Riddick couldn't help but think of how similar this man's voice was to Imam's.  It was as if he could be a younger twin, with a better build.

"Really?" Riddick looked at Kyra and his eyes shown a little in the candlelight, "I understood that she was upset at me."

Kyra rolled her eyes again and motioned toward the other man with the brown hair, "That's Toombs, a merc."

"Merc?"

"He actually tried to hunt you at one time, but didn't elaborate on the story.  He tries to stay off topic as much as possible."

Riddick suddenly snapped his fingers and smiled, "That's where I've seen him before.  I left him tied up to the wall of a hotel room.  I was wondering if anyone found him.  I locked the room and put the 'do not disturb' tag on the door.  It was paid off for another week or so."

Kyra tried to hide her short laugh, but did not do so well, "That's probably why he doesn't talk about it."

"He isn't going to come over to say 'hello'?  It has been a while."

"He knows who you are… Besides he doesn't trust new people very often.  Be grateful the others are giving you a chance.  He is going to be a stubborn ass, as usual.  And counting on the circumstances, I don't doubt that it will be a very long time before he warms up to you."

"What about the kid?" Riddick nodded to the teenage boy sitting on the table.  He noticed a familiar pair of neon green goggles on the top of his full head of black hair.

"That's Nick.  He doesn't talk all that much and he absolutely admires you.  At least from the stories I told him of you."

"Huh… so a real boy Jack."

"Haha," Kyra mock laughed, "You know, you never told me why you came here."

"I was interested by that too," Hassan joined back in the conversation.

Riddick chuckled a little, "I have no reason for being here really.  I guess I just got a little too close to the planet.  And that is now considered trespassing or something."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's not everyday someone tries to shoot you down."

"You're saying that you are here by mistake?" Kyra asked.

"That's pretty much it." Riddick nodded. He couldn't help but catch the slight disappointment on Kyra's face.

"Oh," Kyra replied and turned toward Hassan, "I'm going to get Riddick settled in.  The sun is rising.  It will be another ten minutes before it rises over the crest.  If you need me, you know where to find me."

"I will start the precautions," Hassan nodded and kissed her on the forehead, "Careful."

Kyra nodded and started to walk further into the cavern with Riddick not that far behind.

"Are you two something of an item?" Riddick asked in a flat voice.

"Oh please, Riddick," Kyra sighed, "We see each other as family.  He is my older brother."

"Aren't they the ones who are supposed to give you noogies and treat you badly?"

"Those are the younger, older brothers.  If you understand that."

Riddick decided not to ask, "Well then, what am I?"

Kyra suddenly turned stiff and turned around to face him, "You are Riddick.  I don't really have a term for you.  I don't know what you are."

She turned her head and let her hair whip his face.  They both hurried along the corridor passage into a hallow cavern.

"This will be our quarters," Kyra announced when she set down her heavy ammo belt that was weighing down on her hips and the gun that she stole earlier from the late soldier.

Riddick whipped his head toward her and let a smirk cross his face, "Well, this is an interesting slam.  They let us share quarters?"

"_They_ don't really care," Kyra didn't look up at him, "As long as we don't bother them in their plan, they leave us alone.  That's probably why they love to bother me so much."

"Why is that?" Riddick hopped onto the bed at the side of the room and put his hands behind his head.  His goggles gleamed a little from the light of the two candles at the side of the bed.

"I am one of the few who stir up trouble and leads the people who want to fight.  So far, we haven't succeeded much," she turned around and saw him sprawled out on the bed, looking very comfortable, "What do you think you are doing?"

"If we have to share, I have to get used to this mattress," Riddick said looking back at her.

"Actually, you're sleeping arrangements are over there," she pointed to a large crater filled with what looked like blankets.

Riddick looked at his 'bed' and back at Kyra with her hands on her hips, "You don't really expect me to sleep in that do you?"

Kyra nodded and went into a small adjoining room, "Don't worry you have until tonight to get used to it."

Riddick got up and went over to the crater in the floor.  He sat down and found it to be surprisingly comfortable, "Been expecting me?"

Kyra came back out from the other room, "Not particularly, but we always should be prepared just incase more of the Necromongers send more people down here."

"So you going to join me?" Riddick looked up at her and put his goggles at the side of the bed.

"In your dreams, Riddick," Kyra snorted and started toward the door, "I got to go to a meeting with Logan.  You could come along if you like.  I don't really like the idea of you walking around here with Toombs."

"What, you worried about me, Kyra?"

"Huh, that will be the day."


	3. Enter Dame Vakko

Chapter three: Enter Dame Vakko

_It was back on Helion Prime, it must have been. Standing in the sun didn't burn my skin, or bake me from the inside out as it would have literally done on Crematoria. A smile began to replace my usual scowl as I lifted my head toward the sky and soaked up the sunlight. I looked to my right side and found a familiar figure walking toward me. It was one of the two people I thought I would never see again._

_It was Imam. He was alive. I began walking toward him almost in a jog, until darkness feel over the scene and he was gone once again from my sight. I called out to him, but no sound came forth, nothing was able to be brought forth from my mouth. I was silent when I really needed to say something. Then a strong wind blew from behind me and I was compelled to turn around. Then I wanted to scream._

_There were bodies everywhere. Most of them were filling the crevices left behind from the destructive Necromonger ships. I was still on Helion Prime, but it didn't look much different from what an end of a major battle would look like. I looked to my left to see a small group of people standing by me. There were only sixteen people standing, and a baby. I know because I counted in the few seconds I had to process the group through my mind. I counted twice- who knows, maybe even three times. One of the survivors was Nick, I could tell by his messy hair and my old pair of 'Riddick goggles'. All seemed void of emotion, but when I came closer I found that all of them had tears in their eyes. Every one of the dead bodies that lay at our feet was someone I had known before. All of them were alive when I last checked. How did it happen? More importantly, when?_

_I looked back at the survivors and they had their heads turned to the side. I found a Necromonger lensor and its handler pushing a third figure toward a great chasm on the surface. At first I didn't know who the third figure was, but after hearing a yell from the shadow, I knew it could only be one person. One man._

_Riddick was fighting as well as he could, but he glanced over the necromonger's shoulder and saw me. He was yelling at me- telling me to run. The few seconds that he used to warn me was shown as a weakness and Riddick was pushed backward… falling toward the great chasm. My hear beat in time with my feet pounding against the ground as I tried desperately to reach him. I may not be able, but I can try…I can try…_

_But I fail._

_My screams fill the chasm where Riddick's body now undoubtedly lays._

Kyra sat up quickly in the bed, throwing off her heavy, numerous blankets and pieces of material. The cold winds of reality wrapped around her, telling her that everything she just saw was only in her most terrible nightmares. Her eyes were blinking away the tears before they froze, but it was difficult to make them stop. Her breathing was ragged and distorted as she tried to regain her normal breathing pattern. She looked at the other side of the room where Riddick was sleeping in her makeshift, crater bed. She saw the white breath clouds rise up from h is mouth as he breathed.

'He must be freezing,' Kyra grabbed at her blankets and paused for a moment, 'Damn Fry and her nobility. She just had to get to me. Couldn't let me let the bastard freeze.'

Kyra got up and dragged her blankets as she made her way to Riddick. She sat down beside him, covered both of them completely and wrapped her arms around his cold torso. She cringed by the stinging cold of his skin, but hid it well otherwise. His body started to slowly warm up, keeping her warm as well. Not to mention a little better emotionally. She wanted to make sure that he was still there. That he wasn't at the bottom of the same God forsaken pit. Slowly her mind started to drift into sleep as Riddick's body reached normal temperature.

'I can't stay mad. He saved my life so many times. I just can't help but to trust him. Even if the rest of the group may have their doubts,' Kyra thought as she fell back to sleep.

Riddick let a smile cross his lips as he felt Kyra bury her face into his upper back, 'Cute kid.'

The next morning Kyra could feel the hot, burning temperature of the day creep into her room. She squeezed her eyes a bit, hoping to get a little more sleep until the sun fully rose and heat became too unbearable to sleep. She turned over to her other side and felt something was in front of her. Not bothering to open her eyes, she hugged what she thought was a pillow or a pile of blankets and buried her face into the warm surface. Then the pillow began to hug her back and the surface began to move up and down in a breathing pattern. Her eyes popped open to meet a muscular chest covered in a black wife beater.

"Just how cold were you that you had to curl up with a murderer? Not to mention someone that you dislike at the moment," Riddick said with a bit of amusement apparent in his voice.

Kyra pushed off the crater they were sleeping in and looked down at Riddick, "I wasn't cold at all. I took pity on you."

Riddick laughed, "Me? Needing _your_ pity?"

"You were the one freezing last night," Kyra said getting up and walking toward the other connecting room to get dressed for the day, "I couldn't let you freeze to death after you saved me that many times. Even if I was upset at you."

"Was?" Riddick pushed himself up on his elbows, looking toward Kyra's direction.

"I have always understood why you thought you needed to leave me behind, Riddick," Kyra said snapping the weapon vest around her waist and stepping into the room, "I guess I was just letting out some frustration. And as far as you being a murderer… you aren't as big of one as I am."

Riddick picked up the blankets and threw them back on the bed, "You're no murderer, kid."

"You weren't there when I killed the five men, were you?" Kyra made sure that her leather surrounding her arms were on tight enough. Her mind began to start to wonder back to when she gained the wounds, but she soon caught herself, "You want to come with me today?"

"Where?" Riddick watched as Kyra came out from the other room.

"Up top."

"I thought we would burn or explode from the inside out," Riddick put his hands on his hips, trying to look smart.

"We won't explode if we go through the tunnels and come up inside a strong hanger or rock formation," Kyra gave him a smile and watched him cock one eyebrow. Kyra put on her bag and started to walk out of the room.

Riddick followed close behind and Kyra led the way through the underground shelter. People looked just as yesterday, trying to live to the next day. Some of them, no doubt knew who he was by the looks they were giving him. He tried to keep his vision in front of him. He found Toombs leaning on one of the cavern walls watching him closely. Logan and Nick couldn't be found in the open, they must be setting up for another one of Kyra's plans. Hassan was over next to the pregnant woman Riddick spotted earlier. He was spoon feeding her something from a bowl.

"Hassan is very gifted in herbs," Kyra commented once seeing what Riddick was watching, "Sarah has been having some pains not common with pregnancy, so Hassan is trying to decipher what's wrong. I have no clue."

"How would you have any clue?"

"You didn't think that I would be on the run from blues and mercs without some kind of medical knowledge, did you?" Kyra gave him a smartass smile, "I took an identity of a missing medical student after first going on the run. That's were I met Hassan… he took on Imam's last name after he heard of his death. We kicked it off."

"So that's why you're so close to him," Riddick looked as Kyra headed toward the way they first came in.

"Yeah, too bad he isn't looking for something more than friends," Kyra looked into the door, "But after losing his intended… well, he says that there is only one love that is ever real in life. And that was his. I don't blame him. After losing someone that close to you… you never want to love like that again."

"I feel some emotional connection," Riddick growled, "Like you've been through the same thing."

"Let's not dwell on it," Kyra said coldly, "We have some food and supplies to get."

Riddick didn't argue as he placed his goggles on his head, but welcomed the pitch black darkness that was given inside the tunnels. Kyra led the way through different tunnels and passageways.

"How may I ask are we finding food on a barren rock like this?" Riddick asked from behind Kyra.

"Not finding… we're stealing it," Kyra began to walk a little faster toward the top of the tunnel, "The Necromongers actually have pretty good tastes when it comes to food. I used to steal food back on Helion Prime until I was caught."

"Just what exactly happened?"

"The planet once used to be beautiful. I was originally put in the normal slam. Bars and all. Then they came. Lord Marshal and his army took the planet over, destroying the planet and most of its population. The people who refused to be converted were thrown underground here. I was one of the first along with Toombs, Nick, Hassan, Logan and-"

"And?"

"Forget it," Kyra kept pushing up against the ceiling of the tunnel, "You may want to put your goggles on Riddick."

"Just how many people are down in the underground with us?" Riddick said complying with Kyra's request.

"Fifty," Kyra stopped and looked through the small crack that was made between the roof of the tunnel and the floor of the building they were entering, "And I'm not planning to lose any more of them."

"Why would you?" Riddick joined her and looked through the crack, lifting his goggles since there was barely any light, "From the sound of it, they don't want to be converted."

Kyra looked at him, "They try to draw us out by promising freedom… from pain and suffering. Then they forcefully covert those enticed. I've already lost ten good people that way."

"But then you come to the surface buildings by yourself," Riddick said a bit amused.

"Someone has to get the food. No one else will. Besides, I like a challenge," Kyra climbed out into the dark building with Riddick not too far behind.

"So you've pretty much had to take up the leader role, like it or not."

"Yeah, I guess you can say that," Kyra looked over at a crate at the other side of the room, "They've been in here. They've moved stuff around."

Riddick nodded and walked slowly behind her. After only ten steps Riddick felt as if there was something a little off. There was something wrong. He didn't take off his goggles completely, even though the room was pretty dark. Kyra held his arm before he took another step past her. He heard her take some sniffs of the air and felt her back up a bit. He wanted to continue forward even though the feeling became a little more intense, but her arm from behind kept him in place. Suddenly her body stiffened and she stepped next to him.

"We got to get out of here," Kyra whispered and began to back up.

"Why? Did they move something else-?"

Before another second got to seep by, blinding lights filled the room and Riddick was suddenly happy that he had kept his goggles over his eyes. He stepped in front of Kyra and tried to protect her against whatever may come from the blinding light. A few figures came out of the light and grabbed Kyra out from behind him, despite his efforts to keep her protected. She broke free of their grasps and slit the couple of throats that dared to touch her. She began to run toward a few others until Riddick got there first and caught quite a few of them off guard. More began to flood toward the two fighting figures.

"Wait!"

A female voice rang through out the building. A thin, tall woman in a long dress walked toward where Riddick and Kyra stopped their fighting, but still held stances. As some of the men were being distracted, Kyra elbowed one in the gut, releasing his grip on her shirt. Riddick smiled a little at her ferocity toward the man. The woman walked up to Riddick and looked him in the goggles. She tilted her head from side to side as if she was looking for a specific thing hidden on his face.

"You are the one who is called Riddick," the woman spoke softly and calmly and then abruptly turned to the men around them, "Punish the female, but do not convert her… yet. Let her kind find her."

"Wait a minute," Riddick stepped forward trying to stop them as they began to collapse upon Kyra.

"Riddick, you are coming with me," the woman said waving for the men to take hold of his arms.

"Dame Vakko!" Kyra started to struggle between two men, "Don't you dare convert him! I swear to you I will kill you!"

"I doubt that," she smiled as Kyra was started to be carried back.

Riddick threw off the men that had hold of him and began to charge back toward Kyra. Kyra stopped struggling with them and looked at Riddick.

"Riddick, no!" she yelled at him, "I can handle these bastards. Just don't let them take hold of your mind. I'll be fine. This punishment will be nothing."

"Kyra-"

"Don't argue, I'll be in the underground with no problem. I worry about you little more," Kyra winked at him and then was drug back into the darker portions of the building, possibly into another tunnel used by Necromonger.

Riddick turned back toward Dame Vakko and the other necromonger's, "What are they going to do to her?" Riddick asked standing between the two men who came up next to him, holding a type of gun at each side o his head. Then he finally understood why Kyra stopped struggling so much. She didn't want them to shot him.

"The usual punishment for coming up top," she smiled, "Who is she to you?"

"Why would it matter?"

"It doesn't," she turned and let the two men leave Riddick's side, "Follow me."

Riddick followed Vakko closely with two more of her soldiers following them. She led him through another tunnel. They immerged within another building, although this one was not connected to the surface of the planet like the other buildings were. Riddick could feel the change in the material underneath his boots. As they entered the grand room, the two soldiers following them stayed by the door while Dame Vakko led Riddick deeper into the strange structure.

Statues of men had the contortion of horror and pain written on their faces. They had the burden of keeping the structure level unless it would fall over the people within Necropolis. The blue hint of the walls and structures gave the whole room an eerie feeling, although Riddick could feel that before even coming into the main entrance hall.

"So what exactly is the punishment, and why is it that I am no getting it?"

"Because I need to talk to you, and never mind the punishment," she led him into a deeper room that started to look a lit like the underground slam.

"What about?" he asked checking over the area.

"What are you doing here?" she turned to face him.

"By pure and unwanted accident. I wouldn't be here if your boys didn't shoot me down."

"So you know nothing of us?"

"Nope, totally clueless," Riddick touched the formation on his left.

"What about of her?"

Riddick whipped his head toward Dame Vakko, "Her?"

"The one you were with."

"Let's not get into it," Riddick said, trying to keep the growls to a minimum, "I thought she didn't matter."

"She doesn't," Dame Vakko began to walk again, a little slower than before, "Where do you come from originally?"

"I was born on new earth if I was told correctly."

"So, you're human?"

"And you are not?"

"Ever necromonger was something and some one else at one time before they converted," she took a quick breath, "I want to offer you a special… exemption."

"Exemption, huh?"

"You have some qualities that could prove to be very useful to our cause," she stared at him, "you come and join us and we will make it your while."

"Although destroying planets and civilizations does sound stimulating, I much rather not. And what about the others down below?"

"Come now, Riddick. You really worried about people who would rather do without you?"

"Not everyone is like that," Riddick kept a straight face and watched as she walked around him in a tight circle, "She isn't."

"So… one person is worth a lifetime of pain and even death?" She stopped right in front of him, and after a few moments of silence she knew he wasn't going to answer her she continued, "Bring her with you. Have her convert."

"I doubt that she'll agree with that. Besides she won't let the others down."

"You are willing to give it all up to stay with her?"

"Giving up what?"

"A simple life," she walked over to a smaller door.

Riddick chuckled a little under her breath, "Lady, my life's everything but simple."

"It could be," she nodded toward the smaller door, "This way leads toward your underground, underfoot life; her chosen path. Or you can convert and live in an upper-class society you deserve."

Riddick took off his goggles and rubbed his head, "I guess you give me no choice."

Dame Vakko smiled, "I knew you'd see it my way."

"Who said that?" Riddick walked past her and toward the rock formation with the smaller door, "I'm taking the path down."

"Fine," she clicked her fingers as the huge door in front of her opens back toward the entrance hall, "Riddick…"

He stopped right before entering the rock formation and waited for a response.

"The more you resist them, the greater the damage they'll be," she gave him a smug smile as she left.

"I've made my choice," Riddick grumbled to himself as he walked through the rock formation.

Riddick felt the air around him begin to cool as he went deeper underground. For hours he was going through the tunnels, just now understanding how lost he actually was without Kyra leading the way. Although half the time that he was wondering through the tunnels, he didn't really in any way concentrate on where he was going. He was too stuck on his choice of staying with Kyra and the others. Usually something like this would bring Riddick to the winning side, but so far he sided with the losing. A simple life would be nice, but it wasn't the one for him. He needed the chase. He needed the run. He needed the thrill, but he did admit he would love a vacation.

"That kid is going to be the death of me," Riddick grumbled as he turned toward a small bit of light that had to be coming from the slam. As soon as he stepped into the cavern, he knew that something was very off. Everyone was gathered at the main structure… where Kyra and the others usually held their meetings. He tried not to show his eagerness, but couldn't help it as he walked and pushed his way through the crowd of people.

They all stood outside the front door and looked like they were waiting for something. Riddick tried to look past them and through the windows, but too many heads were in the way. After his third attempt to get closer a person from the crowd speaks up.

"Riddick's back!" the crowd looks at Riddick in a disapproving fashion and stays still.

Hassan is the first one out of the main structure and walked straight toward Riddick. Pain and fear were both apparent, but were hidden beneath a calm mask. Riddick stood in front of him, confused as hell, but still kept his calm and rough exterior as usual. Hassan stepped directly in front of him and stared into his quicksilver eyes.

"I believe it would be best if you followed me inside, Mr. Riddick," Hassan began to walk back toward the building, but Riddick stopped him before he opened the doors.

"First you tell me what the hell is going on," Riddick growled.

"She's hurt," Hassan said wit a crack in his voice, "They beat her to a point of near death. She is barely holding on."

In that one moment, for the first time, Riddick felt his defense fall, "What?"

"Kyra, Mr. Riddick," Hassan tried to sound stronger, but was failing miserably, "We don't know if she is going to make it."


	4. Close Call

Chapter 4: Close Call

"We have tried to revive her, but we haven't had much luck," Hassan tried to get Riddick's mind back to reality as the 'murderer's' silver eyes started to move quickly back and forth trying to comprehend the situation, "For punishment… she got off easy. She is still with us- barely, but she is still there."

"How is that getting off easy?" Riddick rumbled.

"The real penalty for going up top and stealing from the Necromongers is a slow, painful death," Hassan said in near whisper.

Riddick clenched his fist and hit the wall to the side of the doorway. His teeth started to become painful from all the pressure Riddick was applying to them to try and keep his emotions in check. Hassan watched as the wall began to crack a little from underneath Riddick's fist, and really understood. Riddick did care for Kyra. Riddick. The murderer with a more than healthy bounty on his head and a plentiful record of victims… _cared_ for a young woman he hasn't seen since she was fifteen years old in New Mecca.

"Where is she?" Riddick said through his gritted teeth and fist still a quarter inch into the wall.

"Why in Hell would we tell you?" Toombs shouted from his place leaning in a nearby doorway, jumped over the steps toward Riddick and stood directly behind him, "You left her with them! And just where were you when she was beaten, huh?"

"She told me to go with Vakko," Riddick grumbled pulling his fist from the broken wall, but stayed facing the giant crack he created, "I wanted to help the kid, but she told me to go. I shouldn't have listened. I should have stayed with her and fought off the ass holes."

"Bull shit!" Riddick turned in one swift motion and shot a warning glance at Toombs, who didn't even flinch and continued to dig his own grave, "You left her there to die! Admit it!"

Riddick grabbed his collar, pulled Toombs off the ground and shoved him against the same wall he was staring at only a few moments ago, "I would never do that to Jack! I may be a murderer, but I would **_never_** hurt her. I wish that I never had to leave her, but I had to. I had to because I wanted to keep mercs like you from dogging her and keeping a tag on her ass ever where she went! Don't ever accuse me of hurting her. Accuse me of murderer… cold blood; I say I'm guilty, but never of hurting Jack. Got that, _merc_?" Riddick spit out the last word in such hatred that a few people took a step away from the scene.

"Her name is Kyra, Riddick…You never cared," Toombs whispered. Riddick began to raise his fist to punch Toombs to oblivion, until-

"Enough!" Hassan spoke up again from the side of the two men, "Mr. Riddick, Toombs. We are all hurt and emotional. This will solve nothing."

Riddick let his grip on Toombs slip a little and turned to Hassan as the young man spoke the very same words that Imam had said so long ago. The face of the Holy Man flashed in front of Riddick's eyes as well as the dark hole they were in back on that rock five years back. Jack was huddled in the corner, still a scared fifteen year old girl, still trying to pass as a young, rebellious boy. Carolyn sat on a piece of scrap metal still trying to find a solution and get as many people off the rock alive. Then right in front of him stood Johns with his stupid grin. Slowly reality began to slip back to Riddick and Toombs face began to replace Johns's smart ass smirk.

"Hassan's right," Logan stepped out of the main structure, "Riddick, put Toombs down. I'll take you to see Kyra."

Riddick looked back at Toombs and dropped him to the ground, "Don't get in my way merc, or I will do what I should have done instead of leaving you tied up in that hotel room a couple of years back."

"I'll do what I like, quicksilver," Toombs grumbled as he watched Riddick step over him and follow Logan into the structure.

"Why do you fight him?" Hassan asked helping him up and dusted him off, "He is in our same situation. He does care, not matter how hard he tries to hide it."

"He's a murderer, Hassan. Plain and simple," Toombs got up and began to wipe off some of the dust from his hair, "And now he has talked to Vakko and survived. That means he was offered an exception. I don't trust him."

Hassan watched as Toombs walked off to another building watching the main structure the whole time.

"Allah," Hassan took a breath and started to walk back into the structure, "Give me strength."

* * *

"So you actually talked to Vakko, huh?" Logan asked Riddick as they made their way to his and Kyra's room, "What's he like? I heard he was a general or Lord in their society."

"I didn't meet the man, I met the woman," Riddick said his eyes still focused on the room ahead.

"Ah, Dame Vakko," Logan nodded with a little of understanding, "I heard she is even worse."

"I'd much rather not touch on the subject," Riddick said with a tone that seemed to tell Logan not to push it.

"But…"

'This one never learns, does she?' Riddick asked himself.

"What did you two talk about?" Logan stepped in front of Riddick, blocking his path, "One can't help but wonder."

"It's none of your business," Riddick pushed past her and walked toward the room, "Never ask me again."

Logan watched him disappear from sight and let out a frustrated sigh, "Fine. I will find out another way. I always do."

Riddick walked over to the side of the room and found that the table that sat right inside the doorway was covered with fresh water, different plants and herbs and medical instruments. It looked like Hassan was interrupted and left a few herbs and water in a bowl at the end of the table. He noticed the crushing instrument was sloppily thrown on the table and left a trail of the hopeful herbal remedy.

He walked a little further into the room, taking quiet steps as if the quiet nature will improve her condition. The bed soon came into his view and right in the middle of the soft blankets he saw Kyra. Her breathing was shallow and she looked like hell. Her right eye was purple and nearly shut closed. The wound over her left eyebrow reopened and new cuts covered her face and lips. He saw some of –no doubt- many bruises covering her arms and upper chest. She made soft noises and moan from her throat to sound her discomfort.

"God… Kid, what did they do to you?" he sat down next to her in the now unoccupied stool and touched her hand closest to him. He took off his goggles from the top of his head and threw them to the side of the room, "I shouldn't have left you. Shouldn't have listened."

"You didn't have a choice, Mr. Riddick," Hassan walked in and went straight back into working on the herbs, "She has the kind of spirit that will never stop fighting. She wanted to fight them… without any help. No matter how difficult others say it is, or how dangerous it truly is."

"So you don't blame me?" Riddick looked at him, "The merc sure does."

"Toombs is very picky on who he trusts," Hassan started to crush more of the herbs into the bowl and walked over to the bed, "Besides, why should I blame you? According to Kyra you are an admirable person. Maybe my trust may not be very high toward you considering your background, but her trust in you is enough for me."

"I should be somewhat grateful," Riddick commented.

"And I think that a man that reaches out to God in a tough time deserves a chance," Hassan dabbed some of the herbs on Kyra's forehead.

"Hassan, I have not 'reached out to God' my whole life. What are you talking about?" Riddick looked at him with a smirk on his face and then looked back at Kyra.

"I heard you just speak his name when you first saw her in her condition. Just as I had."

Riddick looked up at Hassan, "Do you care for her?"

"All ready putting the defenses?" Hassan saw the confusion on his face, "Do not worry, Mr. Riddick. She is my little sister. I have already loved and lost my heart."

"She says she may go further if you agreed."

Hassan knew what he meant, "She is just trying to heal from the hole you left in her life. It was- and must have been- very difficult for her. You were all she had to hang on to."

"She was better off having nothing than," Riddick mumbled looking at her scratched face, "Besides she had the Holy Man."

"You really believe that?" Hassan continued with his work as if the conversation with Riddick meant a lot less than what it actually did.

"Did she ever tell you why I left?" Riddick looked down at Kyra, "I left her behind at New Mecca so she would be safe. She would live a normal life. Get a small job and her education. She wouldn't have to worry about mercs breathing down her neck. She would-"

"Have her heart broken," Hassan interrupted, "You have no idea how much you hurt her leaving her without a word. To me, that isn't protecting her. It led her to this life. Lead her to him-"

"Him who?" Riddick looked at Hassan threatening him with his eyes if he didn't give more information.

"Pay no heed to it. It's in the past where it should and will stay."

They stared at each other for a little while and then Hassan sighed, removing a cloth covering a gash on Kyra's arm, "Then she was led back to you."

Riddick decided not to push at it. He was too tired, mentally and physically. He would beat it out of someone later if he needed to know.

Hassan stood up and smoothed his robes, "I'm done here. I will be back in the morning."

"You're not staying?"

"I've done all I can. You must stay with her now. She needs someone who cares," Hassan walked briskly out of the room.

Riddick sighed and squeezed tightly to Kyra's limp hand, "Sorry, kid. I wish I never came into you life. It would have been so much easier for you."

He brushed some of her hair off of her damp skin. He could smell the herbs that had soaked into her skin. Her eyelids were flickering a little as she fought through a nightmare or a very extreme dream. Her breathing became a little labored as her teeth began to grind against the other rows.

"Riddick…" she murmured as she squeezed his hand.

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I'm right here, kid."

"Don't- not again. Please… please stay with me. Don't run again. Stay, please. For once, keep a promise. Keep the promise."

Riddick though for a moment and leaned back on the stool a bit. Could he really promise that? Promise to stay? He's been running for so long, staying in one place would feel wrong. But he can't leave her behind. Not now. Not again. She would kill him.

"I'll give you this… Kyra," he started, trying out the new name that felt so foreign on his tongue, "I will never be more than a few miles away. I won't promise that I will always be in your sight or always standing right by your side or always in hearing distance. But you will always get to me if you need to."

Kyra seemed to calm down a bit. She released her grip on his hand again and let him apply the pressure, "Thank you."

"Sleep now, ki-" he put a hand on her forehead and watched her relax, "'Night, Kyra."

He put his upper body on the side of the bed and let sleep over come him.

* * *

He was no longer next to Kyra's bed, holding her hand and watching her sleeping. He was standing in the middle of a jungle forest, looking around him cautiously. He tried to reach for his shivs, but they were not on his person any where, and he didn't like being caught unprepared. He began to look around the jungle again and found that it was nothing like he had ever seen before. Leaves and vines hung around him in bountiful amounts, but no animals were found or even heard of.

"Confused?"

The two syllables rang out from behind him. He kept his calm demeanor and saw the origin of the voice. An older looking woman stood at the edge of the clearing, staring at Riddick.

"A little," he started to walk toward her, "Who are you, may I ask?"

"My name is Aereon. I am from a race called the elementals," she saw Riddick open his mouth, "And before you ask what an elemental is and why you are here, let me explain."

She walked around Riddick slowly as if sizing him up for something. She headed back in front of Riddick and looked into his eyes, "An elemental tried to keep balance in the universe. As you can see the scales have tipped to favor these Necromongers."

The lush, familiar jungle began to fall away to smoldering lava pools and an endless desert, "Elementals are more than human, but we do not know everything. That's why we –along with the rest of the universe- need your help."

"Me? Why me specifically?" Riddick crossed his arms over his chest, "The last time I checked the rest of the universe didn't give a shit about Richard B. Riddick, except to kill him."

"Ever hear of a Furyian?"

"Do not dance around the subject, woman," Riddick grumbled, "I'm no a very patient man. And I hate to dance."

"I am not. I bring this up because you are a furyan. The only opposing force to the Necromongers. You are the balance to this equation."

"I have not idea what you are talking about. I am a human. I was born on New Earth," Riddick said still unmoving.

"You may have been told that when you were in the orphanage, but you have nothing but furyain blood running through your veins. And that is why you must help."

"How are you so sure that I am what you say I am?" Riddick asked a little disturbed that she knew that he was in an orphanage.

"Otherwise I would not have been able to contact you in your emotional time."

"What emotional time?" Riddick asked with a chuckle. Richard B. Riddick never has emotional moments. The thought was absurd. Aereon nodded for him to look behind him and he saw a version of Kyra lying helpless on the bed where he left her. Her breathing was even less shallow that it was before. Her brow furrowed and then relaxed a couple of times to signify another nightmare.

"Kid…" Riddick just stared at the fading image.

"You never have emotional moments?" Aereon questioned him out loud as if she had heard his earlier thoughts, "She is slipping, Richard. Just as we all are."

"Can you help her?" Riddick asked with no emotion, his face still stone and his fists clenched.

"No," Aereon said simply. Riddick closed his eyes from behind his goggles and tried not to show the pain. The helplessness that he felt for the first time.

"But you can, Richard," Aereon's voice was soft and barely above a whisper, yet it drug Riddick the five hundred miles back to the conversation without a sweat.

"What do you mean?" Riddick couldn't hide the eagerness in his voice as he stepped toward the older woman, "How can I help her?"

"Just as you can help us all," she looked at his side at one of his hands, "Put out your hand."

"I'm not much for handshakes."

"Do it," Aereon spoke in a demanding voice that Riddick didn't care too much for. Especially since he was the one usually in charge. He held out his right hand anyway and let the elemental study it closely. She then closed her eyes and began to chant slowly. A light began to glow and Riddick was a little freaked out by it. Suddenly Aereon's eyes flew open.

"to save her you must save us all. There will be a time where she must make the choice between two lives. She will look to you, and you must make the right decision. Heal her," she let her hands drop to her side, "Find you light within the darkness."

"How do I heal her?"

"Wake up and find your light."

* * *

Riddick felt the movement from underneath his arms and the heat from dawn outside made him a bit uncomfortable. He began to shift a bit, but he wasn't the only one moving. He opened his eyes and saw a small head of hair right under his chin and leaned up on his left elbow.

'Kyra,' he stared down at her and was amazed to find that most of her grave injures were healed. The huge bruises that were on her arms were starting to fade and some were yellow in color. The gash above her eyebrow was a faded scar and the blood from the gash in her arm was starting to clog and heal faster than anyone could ever heal. Her arm wrapped around his waist and he raised his eyebrows at the gesture.

He tried to comprehend the accelerated healing that Kyra was showing and rubbed his head with his right hand. Something caught his attention and he focused on the palm of his hand to find something burned into his skin. In the center of his palm was a picture of a left hand print. He thought back to the dream and Aereon, but shook it off. It wasn't possible, although with everything happening, there was a good chance that it might just have been real.

Then his mind focused on a different question, 'How did I get on the bed with her?'

Suddenly he looked down just in time to see Kyra open her eyes and smile up at him.


	5. Logan

**A/N: ** You all thought I was dead, didn't you? Well, happy to report alive and well! I'm sorry that I didn't get this out for a very long time. If I was in your shoes I definitely would have killed the writer before now, but don't take that as a suggestion. I've been getting my college life together, and writing two other fics besides this one. But now that I am a little more organized than before, I can continue with this one and keep going. I'm hoping to get another chapter after this one out almost immediately, trying to write them in the same day. So hold on for me, I'm going to try my best. Thanks again for reading and reviewing, it's really appreciated.

**Chapter 5**: Logan

Kyra felt as if the world decided to knock her a good one and then some. Every single joint and bone in her body ached horribly. She tried desperately to breath, but it felt like there was a huge weight placed on top of her chest. There was no way she could take a deep breath with the weight.

Suddenly she saw Riddick off in the distance. His back was to her, but she still knew it was him. His scent was in the air and there was always a sense of presence when he was around her. Besides, she could recognize his stance anywhere. Then he began to walk away from her. She couldn't move, and if she could it hurt like hell.

"Riddick!" she tried to turn him toward her, but something was keeping her hand down by her side. No matter how much she struggled she couldn't lift her hand and watched helplessly as Riddick began to shrink in the distance.

"I'm right here, kid," Kyra turned from the retreating figure and found the real Riddick holding her hand. She felt him squeeze a little and then relax, giving her the confirmation that he was a least a bit more real than the dot on the horizon line that was once her hero.

"Don't-" Kyra jumped into his arms which felt like Hell, "not again. Please... please stay with me. Don't run again. Stay, please. For once, keep a promise... keep the promise."

She felt like the little girl Jack that she had stated died years ago after Imam died. She was begging her long time, childhood hero to stay with her. To make him promise to stay with her. To make him keep the promise he made to her years before. That he would always be there to protect her. The long pause from him cut deeper than the other answer possibilities, even including him leaving her right then and there. She tried to keep a hold of him so he wouldn't run off. Even if he wanted to.

"I'll give you this, Kyra," and heard another thinking pause from him, "I will never be more than a few miles away. I won't promise that I will always be in your sight or always standing right by your side or always in hearing distance. But you will always get to me if you need to."

She didn't look up at him, but held him a little tighter. She relaxed a bit and suddenly let his hand from hers and touched his face. She then took a deep breath and looked up into his face and feel into his silver eyes. The glint of the silver shone with such intensity. It seemed forever until she could find her voice again.

"Thank you," she breathed and let her fall back to his chest.

"Sleep peacefully now, ki-" he seemed to stop short and Kyra felt some pressure on her forehead like someone had placed a hand lightly on it, "Night, Kyra."

9/9/9/9

Kyra felt the heat from the morning reach one side of her body and moved a bit to try and find a better position. Then it hit her, she could move a little better with a little less pain. She was healing better, or wasn't as badly injured as she thought she was. The pain from most of her injures were just a memory, for the most part. Even her eye that was nearly shut closed from the beatings seemed a little better. She felt as if she probably could even open it a little if she tried. Then another realization came upon her. There was someone in the bed with her. Holding her close to them.

She felt one of the person's hands move and dared to open her eyes. She opened her good eye completely and found that she could open her injured eye only about half of that. She found Riddick, the same man that she was dreaming about, looking at the palm of his right hand. He looked so confused as if he had lost the hand and then it magically grew back overnight. She grinned at the action and he caught the small smile as he glanced down from his palm.

He still seemed a little confused and looked her over from head to toe a couple of times. Her smile slowly faded into a look of wonder.

"And just what are you looking at?" she asked with a hoarse voice. Even though her body may have been healing a little faster then normal, her throat didn't feel a hole lot better than her eye.

"I was wondering the same thing," he rolled off the side of the bed and looked down at her and she slowly sat up, "How did you heal so fast?"

"How long have I been out?" she asked holding her head once she got her back against the headboard of the bed.

"About a day and a night, if that long," he said and looked back at his hand. It had something to do with her healing faster than normal, he knew it. He just didn't understand it.

"Well, that's long enough for someone to cause some problems within the system," Kyra slid one of her legs over the side of the bed and tried to apply pressure on her foot.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked turning his head quickly at her.

She looked up at him and put her other foot on the floor, testing how bad the pressure would b on her injures, "I feel as if I can walk. So, I'm going to try. You don't know how much damage could be done by some of these people. Toombs being one of them. I'm not going to let Hassan brave the discrepancies alone."

She leaned off the bed and began to wobble a little as she stood up. Amazingly she didn't feel as much pain as she did dizziness. Her legs were still a little weak a long with the rest of her body, but she managed to stand up and take a few steps before she leaned forward a little too much and fell toward the floor. Before she callapsed fully Riddick caught her from under her armpits and pulled her back up. She looked into his eyes and nodded.

"Thanks, Big Evil," she looked away and noticed that after a few minutes he didn't let go of her. She turned back to him again and saw that his eyebrows were furrowed in an expression that could be mistaken as worry, "What? You worried about me, Riddick?"

"That will be the day," he stood her back on her two feet and let her stabilize herself by using his arm as a balance bar of sort.

She slowly let go of his arm and headed toward the smaller room. She was going to change and go out. He knew it, but couldn't do anything to stop her. If she wanted to do something, it looked like nothing was going to stop her. Not even a near death beating. Hell knows if she could survive that and walk the next day, he wasn't going to get in her way to get dressed and go out to meet with the others. He finally found his goggles from where he had thrown them earlier and place them around his neck. Even though it was daytime, he wouldn't need to use them in the underground unless they had invented a super bright candle. After a few moments she stepped back out into their shared quarters with a black wife beater tank top, somewhat close to what Riddick himself wore and a pair of khaki pants. She was ready, even though she didn't have her weapon belt or vest on. At least she knew better than to load herself down with her normal heavy equipment.

"You ready now?" he asked with his arms folded over his chest by the door.

"You're not going to try and stop me?" she asked grabbing a small shiv and placing it on a spot on her hip. She turned to him, catching herself when she turned too fast.

"Would it help any?"

"Absolutely not," she answered and walked past him out the door. Yeah that was still the girl, now young woman, that he knew. Determined and never backing down in her opinions even if they were wrong. He shook his head and followed her closely down the hallway toward the main building to join the rest of the group.

As they neared the main structure they could both see the group gathered around the table looking over something on the surface. Kyra squinted her eyes at the sight and then at Riddick who just shrugged his shoulders with indifference. They approach the group and find that they were all pouring over a map of Necropolis. Kyra widened her eyes at the sight and took a big intake of air. Everybody looked up, surprised to see her walking among them.

"Kyra! I'm glad to see that you are awake," Hassan smiled at her, forgetting the reason why she took the intake of air, "How are you doing?"

"Better than that kind of beating would dish out to any normal human being," Logan commented and looked her over, "How did you heal so fast."

"Call it an unsolved mystery," Riddick said coming to the table.

"How did you guys get this map?" Kyra took an edge of the map and pulled it closer to her side of the table, "It's bear impossible to even see Necropolis and live to tell about it."

"Quicksilver got the chance," Toombs muttered and looked at Riddick through the top of his eyes.

"Don't start with me, Merc," Riddick growled in warning to him.

"It was found in one of the unused tunnels," Hassan reported and looked up at Kyra's face to find her swaying to one side, "You sure that you should out of bed. You do not look that well."

"I'm fine," Kyra stated and tried to right herself and overcompensated falling to her other side.

"Woah, kid," Riddick caught her again and pushed her toward Hassan, "Take it easy."

"I'm not a kid," she grumbled.

"I'll take her to give her some more herbs," Hassan said and put Kyra's arm around his shoulders toward the rooms.

"What did happen last night to make her heal that fast?" Nick asked amazed, "She is half way through recovery just after one night."

"I'm wondering that myself," Toombs mumbled and glared at Riddick.

"I'm going to take a short sleep. Didn't get to sleep that peacefully last night."

"What? The murder have a bad dream?" Toombs asked from the side of the room. Logan poked him in the side with her elbow and shook her head at him. Riddick rolled his silver eyes and walked back toward the room. Almost immediately after leaving the main room he heard Logan's boots walk briskly after him.

"I have to ask you something," she said trying to keep in stride with him as soon as she caught up.

"Is it another question about one of my victims? Because if it is, I'm really not in the mood for it," Riddick grumbled and stopped to look down at the young woman.

"For once, no," she said and looked up and down the halls, "How can you trust that she won't turn you in when this is all over?"

"What?"

"Kyra, how do you know that she won't turn you in and collect the money?"

Riddick looked at her with his silver eyes squinting in thought. Kyra may be stubborn and hard headed, but she knew better to even try and turn him in. Even if she was mad as hell at him she would know better than to try to pull a fast one on him and try to throw him back in the slam. He would smell her intentions a mile away, and would probably kill her for it. Or made sure she would never do it again. Besides this was Jack. A grown up version, but he still could feel and smell the same fifteen-year-old kid left on that crashed ship five years ago.

"For some strange reason... she trusts me," Riddick sighed and looked Logan in the eyes, "And that says a lot when the person you trust in a cold blooded killer. She's got the strength, smarts and the courage to do it no doubt, but she wouldn't."

"How can you be so sure? I mean, that is a big reward resting on your head."

"I've heard," he grumbled, "But you still don't understand, Logan. She and I... well the kid and I are almost connected. So far we've crossed paths twice. Both because of a space ship crash. She may be rough around the edges, but when she got her loyalty going, there is no way she's going to break it."

"Even of you wanted her to?"

"Yeah, I've already tried that and it didn't work."

"Or maybe it did and she is just pretending that it hadn't," she offered, "It could all be a ploy-"

"You trying to turn me against her or something?" Riddick asked a little more disgruntled than he was before.

"I'm just reviewing all the possibilities."

"Then that also leaves the big possibility that when this is all over Toombs is going to try and carry my ass back to the slam."

"Yeah, not to mention everyone else," she smiled and started to walk away.

He looked at her as she went down the halls. She was up to something other than trying to break his tie with Kyra. She was playing the worried civilian, yet she was also a killer just like him. Just like Kyra. He shook his head to clear it a little and then looked toward his room once again.

He walked in to find Kyra and Hassan talking to one another. Kyra was sitting on the bed with her legs swinging over the side and Hassan sitting in the chair next to the bed, examining her eye. Riddick saw that they hadn't noticed him yet and stayed just outside their line of sight. He started to dispute as to whether he should listen in or not. Then his mind began to cool down from the talk with Logan and function normally.

'Hell, what should I care if it is private or not. I'm a cold murderer! And I want to know what is going on around here,' he placed his head toward the door and tried to catch the conversation.

"Look Hassan, I don't know what happened. All of the sudden I woke up and I was feeling better. I thought that I was out for weeks with the beating I got."

"Maybe it was something that Mr. Riddick did."

"Riddick?" she laughed to herself a little, "I don't know if you've noticed or not Hassan, but Riddick is no doctor."

"But he is a friend. And some say a friend close at hand can make your soul as well as your body feel better and cleansed. Maybe Mr. Riddick is that friend to you."

"Yeah... a friend," Kyra breathed and watched as Riddick stepped into the room upon realizing that he wasn't going to get any information from the conversation.

"You're back early," Kyra commented as Hassan finished wrapping a new bandage around her arm.

"Logan got carried away," he offered and sat down on the other stool at the side of the room, "So what's the diagnosis, doc?"

"She will be fine. She just needs more rest," he nodded and began to leave the room, "Should I tell the others that you will be joining the meeting tonight, Kyra?"

"Yeah, tell them I'll be there and tell Logan that to start without me would be a huge mistake."

"I'll make sure I'll deliver it," he bowed slightly toward her and left the room.

"You have something against Logan?" Riddick inquired.

"You can say that," Kyra played with some of the new bandages and flexed her arm to see how they fit, "You can also call it a rivalry. One that she started, and one that probably will never stop."

"Sounds interesting."

"Yeah, I bet to you it does," she smirked in his direction and then both of them felt a jerk from the ground. She again fell toward him and landed right against his chest. He looked around the room and started toward the door.

"What the hell was that?"

"God, they're coming," Kyra said a little out of breath and lightly touched Riddick's arm so he wouldn't got that much farther, "We got to get out of here."

"What? Why-"

Before Riddick could reach the door it was blown open by an out side force and flown to the opposite side of the room. Riddick immediately put Kyra behind him as if on impulse to protect her and looked at the door and the doorway now completely open. On the side of the room he could see Hassan coughing and struggling to get up from the broken door. He must have been blown in with it. Hassan looked at the doorway and then at Riddick and Kyra.

"Run! Now! They are after Kyra!" he waved his arms at them to try and emphasis his point, "They will kill her this time! Go!"

Riddick didn't have to read to far into the hint. He looked at Kyra who was already trying to open a small door in the floor for just such an emergency. As soon as she opened it Riddick could see some of the necromonger's shadows on the walls. Hassan watched as the enemy approached. He turned again toward the other two and started to yell.

"GO!"


	6. Deciet

**A/N:** I did it! I've successfully raised this fanfiction from the grave and made it work. Hopefully it will go along a little faster now. I'm trying to get my fictions done so I can primarily work on one. Especially since that is what I usually do. I hope you can forgive me and the rudely drawn out update block.I hope you keep reviewing.

**Chapter Six:** Deceit

"Hassan!" Kyra yelled out as Riddick shut the trap door closed above their heads. The light from the few candles that were lit in her room was shut from view and they were both dumped into darkness. His hand instinctively to his goggle's strap and pulled them down form his eyes to he could make out the shape of the rocks without the obstruction. He quickly snapped his head to glare down at Kyra through the now encompassing black shadows.

"You gone crazy on me, kid? Shut it!" he hissed and turned his attention at the trap door above their heads. He scratched and racked his fingertips along the surface of the door and finally gripped a handle and pulled over the heavy wooden lock of the trap door. If the necros found the door, he wanted to make sure that they both had enough time to get a good amount of distance between them and that door.

"Riddick..." Kyra glanced worriedly at the man gripping the handle of the lock. He didn't respond to her as he slowly put his ear to the door and tried to hear anything entering or leaving the room.

"Riddick?"

Again he stood still and tried to ignore her voice and strained to concentrate.

"Damn it Riddick! What the Hell is going on up there? I can't hear anything," she hissed, still trying to stay as quiet as she could.

Riddick squinted against her tone of voice. He tried to focus on the door despite Kyra's numerous questions behind his back. He turned to her and grabbed her arm in a harsh, but gentle grip, "Look, I need to concentrate on this! I can't hear anything either. So _please_... shut it!"

She gave him a huge grimace which she was sure he saw through the dark with his shined eyes. Suddenly both of their heads turned to the ceiling as heavy footsteps walked straight toward the trap door and stopped right above it. Her breath slowly seeped from her lips and she barely saw the outline of his head turn toward her. His arm tightened around her arm only a little as he tried to tell her to head down the hidden passage way. He was telling her to lead the way. She turned her head toward the door again and shook her head.

'I'm not leaving him behind,' she mouthed to him. He tried his best to stare her down, but he knew it wouldn't work on her for two main reasons. One the only thing that she would be able to see would be two silver orbs sitting ahead on her. And two... she stood firm and stubborn. She did what she felt she needed to do.

That was until now.

Riddick quickly walked the few steps to her and leaned his lips down to where they were a whisper away from her ear and neck. He heard her take a sharp in take of air when he took his hand off of her arm and placed it on her shoulder.

"Would you rather we _all_ die?" he whispered to her in his deep, raspy voice. One that she hadn't heard in years, and never thought she would hear again. All she could remember from the last time was the few moments after he had killed Johns on T2. The words always repeated in her head.

'Don't you cry for Johns... Don't you dare...'

She never understood until Imam had told her the truth. Riddick had told the holy man that he had killed Johns after he had 'advised' to have Riddick kill her and drag her behind the group. He had saved her. And he will again. She closed her eyes and nodded after her hesitation. She heard him take an intake of breath to talk to her again, she might as well have jumped the gun and fell in line. As far as he knew no shots were fired and Hassan was still alive. Maybe unconscious, but alive. Maybe if he just stayed down...

A memory quickly came back to her, 'If she had only stayed down... she would still be here. Why didn't she just stay down?'

She turned in the small amount of space that she had to move in between the wall and Riddick. She could feel his hand linger on her shoulder and swept down her back as she began to lead Riddick down the small tunnel. She was trying to head to the center of the building. There she could reload on ammo and give those necromongers a piece of her mind. She stopped him a couple of times when she heard hushed whispering and grunting of the necromongers above them, but quickly continued. Riddick followed, watching their back closely in case the enemy did happen to find the trap door in their quarters.

Kyra soon stopped again and turned toward the direction she heard Riddick's deep breaths coming from, "I would put your goggles on."

He paused, but slid them on right before he saw a large light radiate from the rocks. Kyra pushed the portion of the rock to the side and Riddick found a small arsenal of weapons at their disposal. It looked like she had installed a small case of weapons with a built in light in an emergency. She thought ahead, and had instinct he never really gave her credit for. There was a lot that he never gave her credit for.

She let her eyes slowly adjust to the light before she ran over her choice of weapons. A small predator like smile lit her face as she picked up a small pulse gun that packs a punch and carefully placed it in one of her empty holsters. She also took a couple of shivs and put one on each hip. She turned to Riddick and he began to look at his selection. He took a couple fo pulse guns as well, but nothing could compare to his favorite weapon. Of course he took a couple of shivs and checked their weight before putting them on his back on a holder that he had found in Kyra's room.

"I thought you might have liked them," she looked at the sharped metal of his back, "They cost a pretty penny."

"I bet," he said and watched as she closed the rock formation. As she turned around he noticed the two places on her back for more guns. He quickly put the pulse guns onto the pockets on her back. She shrugged at the extra weight and began to walk along the path in darkness once again, "You know your way in the dark."

"I've lived in it for five years now," she said harshly, "I learn to adapt."

"Imam teach you that? He was always talking about finding your light in the dark, or some shit like that."

"No," she snapped the gun's pulsing piece back into the gun and looked at him, "I had to learn that myself, Riddick. Much like everything else."

"Don't start on that guilt trip with me. You know that doesn't work on me at all," he walked toward her again and almost seemed to be pushing her back and slowly brought down his goggles to around his neck, "You got to have emotions to have guilt. You know, a conscious."

"Yeah, one of my big mistakes, huh?" she looked at the floor instead of his silver orbs that he just uncovered again, "I always though you had one."

'So did I,' he thought to himself, 'You and Carolyn found it and brought it out.'

"They're after you, you know?" he quickly changed the subject and pulled on the blade carriers on his back, "They'll kill you, they don't have a problem with it either. They want you dead, Jack."

"I'm not scared about that. About death," she turned and began to walk down the walkway again, "It's just another step in life we all must take." She stopped a little, hesitating on her next step, "Imam taught me that. I'm not scared."

"Maybe I am," he grumbled to himself and began to jogged slowly after her. It was true, he was scared. Richard B. Riddick was scared about losing the young girl that he saved on that planet five years ago. The same girl he left behind with a Holy Man to protect her from the mercs... and from himself. And now after finding her, he was afraid to loose her. She was grown up, able to take care of herself. She wasn't the same person, the same scraggly teenage girl he left behind. She was a young woman that knew what she had to do and knew what she wanted. And that wasn't for him to protect her, no matter how much he wanted it to be true. He was scared.

"Did you say something?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Nothing I'm sure you would be concerned about."

They came up to another door and Kyra peeked out, barely able to see, "It's empty, but I hear some scuffling in other rooms."

"Do you think Logan is an upstanding character?" Riddick asked as they came out from the floor. Kyra looked down at him as he pulled himself from the floor. The question seemed out of the blue.

"I don't think much of her, why?" she checked her gun once again and noticed that Riddick hadn't put on his goggles. It was dark in the room, small candles were still burning, but it wasn't the light that she was used to down here.

"She doesn't seem trustworthy is all," he nodded to the door and the two made their way out to the hall where they could see a few necromongers marching the other way.

"What?" she whispered and looked at him incredulously, "And Big Bad Richard Riddick is?"

"I am when it concerns you," he grumbled low in his chest and put his goggles on once seeing the rooms ahead of them were lighter.

"I know,"she whispered and let a small, weak smile cross her features and looked at him. She nodded at his surprised face, "You always were. That's why I hated it when you left. You were doing it for me, and I knew. And I hated it. I hated myself for it."

He began to take a breath to tell her something when an energy blast shot between them. Riddick and Kyra turned to see a half a dozen necromongers running toward them. Riddick gripped one of the pulse guns he grabbed and turned down toward her.

"We'll talk about this later," he growled.

Kyra nodded reluctantly and she pulled out her gun without warning, shooting down the first line of necromongers in sight. Riddick grabbed the guns from Kyra's back and shot a few down until they got close enough to use his skills. As soon as he could he dropped the guns and brought out the shivs from the arsenal. He slashed down the three closest necromongers and moved on to the next bunch.

From his side he heard Kyra fighting with her own shiv, a little smaller than his own. He was prepared to see her used to pulse guns and maybe artillery, but her skill in shivs were better than he would have ever expected from her. He was astounded as she kicked her leg up and found a small double blade emerge from her heel, plunging it into the necromonger's eye and cut the other one across from him down the chest. Another surprise, her pain from the beating, seemed almost gone. As if it was never there. She could hide it well. He turned back to his won group of up coming necromongers until he heard her gasp. He finished his last necro and looked toward her. He saw her with a new fire in her eyes as she killed two necros with one swift use of her shivs. As she stood up he looked at her face to find a long scratch on the left of her face. She rubbed off some of the blood with her hand and smirked at him.

He looked to his side to see a necro taking aim at her. Riddick took off running and tackled her to the ground. They both rolled to the side of the room and inside a crater. Riddick looked down at her below his body and quickly made a run for any injuries.

She began to push at him, "Comfortable Riddick?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he looked over the side of the crater to see a few more necros file in and take a quick scan around the room.

"Riddick?"

"Shh!" he put out his hand to cover her mouth. He watched as the baffled necros walked from the room. He took a breath and waited until their footsteps faded, 'Not very bright ones, these necromongers.'

"Riddick?" Kyra's muffled question came from under his hand. He noticed how soft they were despite the fact of where she was living at the time. He looked down and felt his lower body overlapping over hers. He smirked and noticed her uncomfortable movements under him.

"Are you in a hurry?"

"Particularly... I would like to get back to Hassan."

"Of course," he pushed off of the ground and made sure they really were alone and void of necromongers, "I think they left."

"Why? I'm not dead yet?" she brushed off some of the dust from her arms and legs.

"They had a fucking time limit? I don't know," he took off his goggles for a few seconds to check the surrounding area and put them back on, "They aren't here now."

"Let's get back to the main building then. Let's see the damage," she put her shivs back on her hips and walked out the room and toward the building.

They were the first to arrive in the building and Jack just started to pace and mumble to herself. Riddick sat on the chair closest to the table and put his feet up. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched her nervously create a new dent in the ground.

"What was the last thing I said to you before I left you and Imam?" his voice boomed and she was dragged back to reality.

"What?"

"The last thing I said to you, before I left you..."

She began to laugh a little to herself, "How could I ever forget my hero's last words before he left me? You told me never to hate myself. 'I had way too much going for me to give up now.'"

"So why did you?"

"I had no one else to hate."

"There was me."

"Where?" she raised her eyebrows and looked over his shoulders at Nick and Logan coming into the structure and toward the table.

"So, how did we fair?" Kyra asked as they approached.

"I counted at least three dead by the old merc guard," Nick said pointing to a large over hanging cave structure and hopped up on the table, "And there are ten injured in the west end."

Logan sat beside her in a chair, "And another two at the well."

"Make that an even twenty," Toombs came into the room, cleaning off his knife with a cloth, "Another four at the outer boundaries."

"Check your math, merc. That's nineteen," Riddick sat up from his slouched position.

"And... there was Hassan. He was shot in the chest. He's dead."

Riddick was surprised by the mercenary's impassiveness of the news of the death of one of his allies. He turned to the side where Kyra stood silent by the table. She began to shake her head back and forth in disbelief.

"He was alive... when we left... he told us to run..." Kyra whispered. She tried to take a step back and nearly collapsed to the floor. Riddick shot out of his chair and caught her beneath her arms and pulled her back up.

"Whoa, slow down, kid," he looked at her in the eyes and sat her down on the ground, "Kyra... look at me. Look at me."

She brought her eyes to his goggles and look at her own reflection. A large breath filled her lungs and she slowly let it out, "Hassan..."

"You need to catch up to your brain. Slow down, take a break. Stay with me here, Kyra."

She nodded and looked down at the ground, unable to face her won reflection in the goggles anymore.

Riddick stood back up, "The necromongers knew where this place was?"

"They do have some tunnels that lead down here, but they can't find their way unless someone told them," Toombs eyed him, "Or someone had the ability to lead them through the dark."

"That suppose to be a threat, Merc?"

"Yeah... Maybe you told them. You were the last one to talk to them, quicksilver."

"What did I tell you about pointing fingers Merc?"

"I'm just calling them as I see 'em."

"I think he's right," Logan nodded and looked between Riddick and Toombs, "You were the last one, Riddick. Could you have done it? Absolutely. I would have."

"Did you?" Riddick tilted his head to the side.

"I have not been out of this hell hole for a long time Riddick."

"Everyone has their secrets, Logan," he said in a deadpan.

"Including the Big Bad," she sneered.

"Let's stop this!" Kyra said from the ground, still willing herself not to cry, and no one noticed, "It happened. Let's stop pointing fingers and move on."

"And allow him to betray us again?" Toombs yelled, "I say we put him in the lock up."

"Toombs! Calm down! We don't need to go that far," Kyra willed herself to get up, "He wouldn't do it. He didn't."

"That's your opinion,"he pushed past her and walked to his room. Logan and Nick started to walk away and help others of the wounded. Kyra put her head in her hands and took a frustrated breath.

"The lock up?" Riddick asked looking at her.

"It's a prison... inside the prison," she looked at the cavern ceiling and willed the tears not to come. Begged inside her head, 'I'm strong... I can be strong. I can... not cry.'

Suddenly she felt a presence at her back and a heavy hand landed on her shoulder. She took a gulp of air and turned to see Riddick staring down at her. She turned her face away and finally swallowed the urge to cry.

"If you need to-"

"You don't need to baby me, Riddick," she got back in a chair and traced some of the cracks in the table, "I'm just so frustrated. I'm okay."

"It's just-"

"Forget it!" she turned to him and scowled, then sent her attention back to the table.

'...you look exactly like I did the day I left.'

The two figures sat in silence and contemplated their next move.


	7. Chains and Shackles

**Chapter Seven:** Chains and Shackles

A few hours had passed after the attack on the underground slam in Crematoria. Logan and Nick had found themselves helping out the ten injured with the few medical supplies they had. Hassan was usually the 'slam doctor', but since he was lost it was up to whoever was available. What they had wasn't much, but at least they could stop the infections, or at least keep the bacteria from growing too out of control. Kyra had medical knowledge, yet she hasn't even stood back up since the talk with Toombs and the others. She just didn't have the strength, nor the will power. The wounds from the necro beating were still a bit tender and there was no reason for her to make them worse. Not that it was stopping her from fighting all she could, but it seemed to have stopped her from getting up to see to the other prisoners.

Toombs and a few of the other men in the slam had moved the ten dead toward the center of the complex. It wasn't pleasant since they knew what was to happen next to their fallen comrades. But, that's just the way they had to do it in the slam. People looked them over and mumbled their respects. Not much was said to or about one specific individual. No one tried to keep connections with one another in the under ground prison. Too many people die, and they have gone through enough pain. They did not need to make a connection to a person who may be a rotting corpse the next day. After everyone has had their respects and tid bits said, they threw the bodies into one of the many fire pits on the outskirts of the main structures.

Riddick stood at the window of the main, meeting structure, looking over the few people passing over the dead. He saw their mouths mumble small mentions, but nothing too much. There was no grieving widow over the body of her husband or child. There were no tears of sorrow. There were no funerals, just little mentions and a toss into a hole of fire. He saw Hassan's body at the end of the line, closest to the building. His arms crossed over his chest, he couldn't understand why they couldn't give them all a decent burial. This may have been a slam, but even in slam the dead were buried. He should know, he had killed a few of those that were buried back at Butcher Bay... and at others. Toombs looked at the window and sneered at Riddick, and then looked back down at Hassan quickly. He still blamed the 'cold killer' for the murders. And he probably always will.

Kyra still traced over the table cracks, lost in her own thoughts and delusions. She wanted so much to be back in New Mecca with Imam. Sitting by their fire in the modest living room, a book sitting in front of each of their faces. They would talk a little about Imam's philosophy and his eager attempt to teach her the ways of his faith. Her name would still be Jack and would have been warm and safe, the only adventures she would find would be in the book she had her nose buried in. Then there would be a knock at the door and Hassan would come in and join their small circle at the fire. They would have been happy to see one another again. Imam and Hassan. They had so much more than faith in common. Some of the little things that made her like the two of them so well, they seemed to share in their personalities. All three of them would laugh and talk about the day's events. If it weren't for that one day it may have come true. The day her world crumbled. The day Jack died-

"Kyra," Riddick called from the window, again pulling her from the warm comfortable fire and back into the burning flames of reality.

"Hm?" she turned her head slowly, blinking a few times. Her mind still halfway in a present reality she would never have.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" he asked nodding out the window and kept his eyes glued on Hassan. He knew that she wanted to, and more than likely needed to. He was close to her and vise-versa. They had a connection, a short lived one, but a mutual one none the less. He saw it and everyone else did too. It was a huge shock that she wasn't out there all ready.

"What am I going to say to him?" she took a deep breath, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I had to save my own ass. Yeah right, Riddick."

Riddick shifted his eyes toward her, "He would have understood. He was the one who told us to run."

"You don't know what the_ fuck_ he would understand, Riddick!" she stood up, pushing the chair backwards, tipping it over to the ground, "You didn't even know him. Don't you even dare... don't even say that you did... You never understood him like I did. You never would. He was civilized, remember?"

His face was still turned away from her. Out the window, finally sweeping over the other bodies. He didn't even flinch from her harsh comment, at least not from the outside. She stood stiff, her knuckles clenched at her sides, and her teeth even more so. She breathed deep and hard, trying to gain his full attention. He started the flood gate about Hassan, he was going to damn well close it.

'Look at me, dammit!' she thought to herself, 'Look at me! Face me! Give me the _wisdom_ of your age, Riddick. Tell me you do understand. You understand everyone in death. Civilized or not.'

"Go see him, kid," Riddick pushed himself from the window sill and walked past her, never once glancing at her face, "You need to. Believe me."

"Coward," she muttered under her breath.

He heard it, but didn't say anything or responded to it. He just walked back toward the room, hoping to clean up any and all blood that was left behind from Hassan's death from the floor and material. The last thing that she needed to do was to fall asleep next to her friend's died blood.

Kyra took another deep breath and finally just collapsed back in her chair. Her hand went to her forehead once again in frustration. She felt like she was going to cry at any moment, but that would be showing emotion. And she hid her emotion. Just like her pain. Pain shows a weakness, and at any sign of weakness, the enemy grabs at it. She has to hold it in, if she didn't people would know she was crumbling. Buckling. And she couldn't let the others see it. Not with everyone depending on her.

Suddenly she felt her mouth open without her bidding. An animalistic cry raged forth from her mouth in anguish. Her arms and fists rammed themselves into the table in front of her, possibly giving it more small cracks in the finish. She willed herself not to shed tears, but she needed to do something, or the pain inside would just take over. She clenched her eyes shut and pulled her body foward over her legs, letting the remainder of the raw emotion flee from within her. Her legs began to cramp at the stretch, as well as her back.

True, the physical evidence of the beating was growing faint, but she was still sore beyond recognition. When she fought the necromongers quite a few hours ago, she wanted to collapse in a heap and let some one else take over the fight. But that was something she never allowed herself to do. She fought her own fights. She depended on herself, and no one else. No one else ever understood. She thought a few times that someone had, when she let her guard down. But each one of those times were nothing but another one of her delusions of her 'perfect present.' The present where she and Imam were in New Mecca, reading the paper and never once thought of a place like this even existed. The reality that will never be.

Hassan was dead, killed by necros who found their way in from inside help. He wasn't coming back, and she knew it. No matter what, he was going to be sent into one of the pits with a few more of her allies. Turned into ash by the planets scorching nature. But she could still find the son of a bitch who let him die. The one who led them down here. No one would get away for this. No one. If she had to question and beat every one in the whole slam she would to find his killer.

She finally pushed herself painfully from the table and looked out the window which Riddick had viewed the now so common 'burial' from. She saw Logan and Nick at the end of the line looking down at Hassan's body which hadn't been moved toward the crater yet. She nodded her head and turned to walk back down the hall. Logan took a deep breath and nodded to Nick who helped her heave their friend up and walk him to the crater. Kyra wasn't going to see him off. It seemed as if no one would.

The halls of the many buildings were broken and in shambles. People hurried about, trying to get their somewhat lives back to the way it was. It may have been miserable, but it was the only thing they knew. Kyra kept her head down as she heard the bodies hit one another at the distant edge of the slam. Their weight echoing in the halls around her. She took a deep breath and focused on her door ahead. Or at least her room. There isn't much to focus on if there is only air. Her door was blasted in by a strong pulse gun. Hassan connected to it.

As she neared the doorway she found Riddick picking up the last of the shredded blankets and clothes that littered the floor. After he tossed the material to the side he leaned against the side wall. He pinched the crook of his nose and pushed his goggles to rest on his forehead. People didn't trust him worth anything, and yet she had enough faith to know when he was telling the truth and when he was lying. She sighed and stood in the doorway, overlooking a small puddle of what had to be some dried blood. It looked like he hadn't had the chance to get to it yet. Riddick turned toward her and allowed his silver eyes to bore into her own.

She knew then and she knew now.

"You didn't do it, Riddick. So stop looking at me like that," she stared at him, directly in the eyes, "I don't and wouldn't believe that you would kill someone like that unprovoked. Besides, the shiv is your pride and joy, I doubt that you would just use a pulse gun for the hell of it."

"Then who did?" he asked as he slid into one of the chairs at the side of the room. He was still staring at her, trying to figure her out. No one wanted to believe in him. No one, except her.

"That's what we got to figure out, huh?" she looked down at the floor and scraped at the blood stain with her foot.

He noticed the impulsive act of her foot going over the now dried blood, "We?"

"Yes, we," she nodded and looked up, "You're stuck down here, and I doubt that you took the offer they gave to you."

"What makes you so sure they made an offer at all?"

"They always do. And since you're now down here among the likes of me and the others, it seems that you didn't take it. Otherwise I would be dead," again her boot scrapped the floor.

"You didn't go, did you?" He growled and put his feet up on a nearby rock.

"Let's not get into it again," she mumbled.

"Well, you did call me coward because of it."

"Only because you wouldn't face me."

"Why would I need to?"

"You thought that you knew about him and what he wanted, but you didn't and don't know anything. You knew him for a whole few days."

"Maybe, but at least I knew how much you two cared about each other."

"Forget it, okay," she sighed and saw him taking another breath, "He's dead, Riddick. Not much is going to come from looking back at old times, okay? Just drop it."

"Fine," he let it slip and leaned back. 'She's regretting it all ready.'

* * *

The Lord Marshal sat on the edge of his overly plush throne and rolled a troubling thought over and over in his mind. There was much talk about the strange human that was lead into Necropolis only a night or two ago. He was a very strange human, as he had sneaked a peek at the man coming through the doors, led by Lady Vakko. He was sure it was just another convert from the underground vermin running below their own feet. He was wrong, as was Lady Vakko. He didn't accept the offer. He was the first. Hopefully the last. 

Many necromongers have started or spread much of the talk about this interesting human. One that had been born not thirty years prior on the small planet of New Earth. There was talk about the man not being a man at all, but another form of an alien. Some kind of super species not yet discovered by the many races of man. Although, it was the younger generations of necromongers who had propose such a laughable thought, the Lord Marshal could not help but think if there was not more to this man.

The small amount of troops that have gone down to find and destroy the young woman that led the uprising came back with a tale of a man that fought like twenty. A man that seemed built, but still cleaned out more than half of the small troop that was sent of the seek and kill mission. It seemed as if it was the same man that declined their offer. He was going to be a problem. Just like she is.

'Maybe this man is more than man...'

He sighed and rubbed his fingers together in a thoughtful pose. He looked to his side where a few of his commanders where talking about the next attack on the small underground community of up risers, "Vakko?"

A younger looking man stepped from the group and quickly took off his helmet and knelt by the feet of the Lord Marshal, "Yes, Lord Marshal?"

"What is the word on our next plan of action?" he still kept his thoughtful gaze on the far wall.

"Sir," he nodded and stood straight up, "The double amount of troops that you ordered for the next conquest of the compound are ready for your word. They will succeed this time in killing the woman and bringing back her head to your feet."

"Change of plans, Vakko," Lord Marshal sat straighter and looked at his top in command, "I am growing quite tired of sending men down there only to lose up to half of them without success. I believe this time we need to draw her up to our level."

"Sir?"

"Capture as many of the underworlders as you can and bring them back up for immediate conversion. This will, in my mind, not fail to draw her up. To where we can easy capture her and make her our own."

"But my wife has stated that she is one of the most difficult to lure. She did not even come up for one we had once thought that she had held a great feeling for. What makes you think she will come up for these that we capture?"

"She will not come for one or even two, but if we take all that she has, she will have to follow. Feelings or not," he smiled and watched as Vakko bowed about ready to leave from his presence, "Vakko?"

"Yes?"

"What do you know of this human that fights like twenty?"

"According to my wife and the soldiers that had survived, I find an interest in him. If he does indeed fight as they say, he would be a great opponent. Not know of his background or of his life other than his birth on New Earth."

"And what about his race?"

"Human?"

"No... never trust the outer appearance, Vakko. I believe he is something more."

"Yeah, and that something is called a killer," a voice came from the side of the room. The person was concealed in the dark looking at the Lord Marshal and Vakko.

"And what news do you have to bring us?" Marshal looked at the darkened figure.

"The woman, Kyra, is weakened. There was one that was lost that was dear to her," the figure took a breath, "But she has now renewed a bond with the man named Riddick. I know of him well. He is a very skilled killer and possible assassin. He sure did make short work of most of your troops down there."

"It seems as if we have to find a soft spot of these two thorns in our sides," Vakko announced.

"You just heard it," the voice said, "They are each other's soft spots. They had a bond long before this. I don't really know what it was, but I can try to find all I can in time."

"Your time is out," Lord Marshal stood and walked off his throne, not looking at the figure, "We will set to capture the underworlders. If this Riddick does not come to this side-"

"He won't. Not without her."

"Try," the Lord Marshal turned to the shadowed figure and soon found the voice and the body at the side of the room gone. Vakko stood in front of him, "Prepare them, Vakko."

"As you wish," Vakko bowed once again and left to brief his troops.

Lord Marshal began to step toward his drafting room with a couple of female converts following him closely.

**A/N:** Hey all. A mircle, huh? Another chapter for you. Hopefully I am in a typing mood tonight. 'Cause I got a lot of ideas, and not for just this fiction either.


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